Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

दर्शं च पौर्णमासं च पितुः सांवत्सरं दिनम् । पूर्वविद्धमकुर्वाणो नरकं प्रतिपद्यते

Transliteration

darśaṃ ca paurṇamāsaṃ ca pituḥ sāṃvatsaraṃ dinam | pūrvaviddhamakurvāṇo narakaṃ pratipadyate

Translation

Nghi lễ ngày sóc (trăng non), nghi lễ ngày vọng (trăng tròn), và ngày śrāddha hằng năm của cha—ai không cử hành theo phép ‘pūrvaviddha’ (tính tithi đúng lệ) thì sa vào địa ngục.

Word by Word

• darśam: the new-moon rite/day (darśa)
• darśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• paurṇamāsam: the full-moon rite/day (paurṇamāsa)
• paurṇamāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paurṇamāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चय)

• pituḥ: of the father
• pituḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• sāṃvatsaram: annual/yearly
• sāṃvatsaram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāṃvatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); adjective qualifying 'dinam'

• dinam: day (anniversary day)
• dinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• pūrvaviddham: (the tithi) that is pūrva-viddha (overlapped/affected earlier)
• pūrvaviddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva + viddha (प्रातिपदिक; viddha from √vidh/√vyadh? here 'pierced/affected', calendrical term)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); karmadhāraya: 'pūrvam viddham' = 'previously affected (by tithi)'

• akurvāṇaḥ: not doing/neglecting
• akurvāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-√kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Parasmaipada sense; with negation prefix a-; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• pratipadyate: attains/goes to
• pratipadyate: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√pad (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at Prabhāsa prepares darśa/paurṇamāsa and annual pitṛ-śrāddha; a pañcāṅga is consulted for pūrvaviddha tithi while the sea-temple horizon of Somnātha glows; the warning of naraka is shown as a shadowy contrast behind the ritual scene.

Characters & Entities

• Darśa
• Paurṇamāsa
• Śrāddha
• Pūrvaviddha
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of obligatory rites and improper timing is treated as a serious breach of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the māhātmya teaches correct performance of lunar and ancestral rites within this sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform darśa, paurṇamāsa, and annual pitṛ-day rites according to the pūrvaviddha timing rule; otherwise severe demerit is stated.